Against All Odds

by Marian L. Jasper

  “Yes, let’s hope so,” said Liza.

  Henry’s client left and Liza was escorted into his office. He looked at her and said, “What’s the matter Liza, you don’t look quite yourself.”

  “Just a little tired and Patrick’s had to go away for a while. The boys are outside with Mary. They always enjoy looking around the ships. I’ll be visiting Myra when I’ve finished here,” said Liza.

  Henry knew that Patrick had not received instructions to go away, so he knew Liza was covering for something. He would no doubt find out what it was from Myra later.

  “How’s young Walter working out? I’ve just seen him and he seems very enthusiastic,” said Liza.

  “Yes, I believe it was one of your better ideas. He should be ready to completely undertake some duties in a couple of weeks or so. He is really going through the people that we already use with a fine tooth comb. We should end up with a very solid security staff. He’s also currently sorting out those who can be used on the more rough and ready clients and those who would be needed at functions like your own,” said Henry.

  “Walter was telling me that he lives in the Finsbury slums. It’s very overcrowded there. I presume you’ve sorted out his salary,” said Liza.

  “Yes, the cheeky man tried to up what I was offering him. He did it so very nicely with a smile on his face, but he had to accept what I offered. I do like him and hope he can keep his nose clean,” said Henry.

  “I’m sure he can. I don’t think he’s the sort of person who will stab us in the back. I know it’s very early days but what do you think of letting him have the house that the O’Rourke’s and the Cavanaugh’s used. If you think it would be advisable, you would have to adjust his salary accordingly, as we’ve said before, we’re not a charity,” said Liza.

  “We would have to restrict who he brings to live there. We wouldn’t want it to become an overcrowded slum. It would keep him even more loyal to you, Liza. It could be another shrewd move, we’d be buying loyalty and I’m sure his wife would make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow,” said Henry.

  “Yes, I suppose we could see it that way and he would probably also see it that way; it was not my intention, but I wouldn’t think that he would refuse,” said Liza.

  “Liza, you really don’t look well,” said Henry.

  “I’m all right. I’ll be fine by tonight, ready for the Lindburg’s function. Are you going to tell Walter now?” asked Liza.

  “I think that perhaps we should do that together,” said Henry and he instructed his clerk to bring Walter into the office.

  “Mr Anderson,” said Henry. “Mrs Kelly and I have had a discussion about your employment and we have decided that we will have to cut your salary.”

  Liza was somewhat startled by Henry’s sense of humour but could not resist a sly smile reaching her lips. Walter looked at her and she was pleased that he was not a stupid man.

  “Well, I know you’re playing with me because I know that Mrs Kelly would not renege on an agreement,” said Walter, “and I don’t think you would either for that matter,” he said to Henry.

  “Thank you for that confidence in us, Mr Anderson. If you are in agreement, we are going to cut your salary, but we are going to let you stay rent free in one of our employee’s houses. Do you think your wife and daughters would like that?” said Liza.

  “They would be delighted. They would never believe that we could have such good fortune after the time that we have had since coming to New York. I really don’t know what to say,” said Walter who had never before been lost for words.

  “There are one or two stipulations, Mr Anderson,” said Henry. “We do not wish to restrict your home life as your free time is yours to do with as you wish, but we do not want the house to become overcrowded and therefore it is for the use of your family alone. Your cousin and his wife will have to find their own accommodation. Friends and family staying for short periods will be acceptable. We emphasise we do not want one of our properties to become a slum.”

  “My wife would never allow any place that we lived to become a slum,” said Walter with a certain amount of annoyance.

  “I have upset you now Walter and it was not intended. Because your cousin and his wife took you into their home when you needed somewhere to go, it does not mean that the company house is large enough to take many people and you know yourself that too many people cannot help but create overcrowding. No offence was meant,” said Henry.

  “Well, I may have to refuse your kind offer as I have every intention of bringing my mother and my brother here from London when I can afford it,” said Walter.

  “I don’t think that a mother and brother constitute a difficulty,” said Liza. “They are close family and should be part of your household until such time as your brother has his own wife and family. Have a word with Mr Mahoney who will tell you the cost of bringing them over so you will know what you need.”

  “Then thank you, I accept your kind offer on behalf of my wife and family,” and Walter was looking directly at Liza when he said this.

  “I suppose you had better take time out at lunchtime to let your wife know that she will be moving shortly,” said Liza, “and also you should see the house. Can you get the clerk to take him there, Henry? Goodbye Mr Anderson, no doubt I’ll see you again soon.”

  Henry and Liza had papers to read through and documents to sign and then Liza went to find Mary and the boys and go on their way to Myra’s.

  Myra was shocked at the way Liza’s face looked so cold and sad. She was pleased to see the boys and they were tempted to the kitchen by the promise of cake. Mary went with them and could be heard telling them not to be so messy.

  “You’re going to the function tonight, aren’t you?” asked Liza and Myra nodded. “Then if you don’t mind, I’d like to travel there with you. Patrick’s been called away so I thought that I’d occupy my time with a little entertainment.”

  “You are a very bad liar, Liza and if there is anything that you want to tell me, you know it will go no further,” said Myra.

  “Thank you but at the moment there is nothing that I want to talk about, when I’m ready, you will be the first person that I come to,” said Liza.

  They spent the rest of the time discussing what they would be wearing that evening and Myra was telling Liza about the people who were holding that evening’s function.

  “Is Jamie going to be there tonight?” asked Myra.

  “I’m afraid I have no idea. I haven’t seen Jamie today. No doubt the tongues will start wagging with Patrick being away and Jamie staying under my roof. I wish he was leaving, but I believe he is soon,” said Liza.

  “I hear he’s cancelled his trip back,” said Myra.

  “I didn’t know that. When did he do that?” asked Liza.

  “Sometime yesterday,” said Myra.

  Liza shook her head and said that she wished he hadn’t done that and she hoped that he wasn’t going to start getting annoying again. Myra arranged that they would call for Liza that evening at around seven o’clock and they would travel together to the function. “What if Jamie wants to travel with us?” asked Myra.

  “Well, we can’t tell him that he has to go by himself, but I am going to try not to see him before we leave. I presume he will have already organised how he is getting there.”

  Back home, Liza spent some time reading with the boys and then she played some games with them. She asked Mary to see that they had their supper and to tell anybody that she was going to her room to rest and didn’t want to be disturbed, but she would be in to say goodnight to the boys before she left for the evening.

  Several times during the day Jamie had asked the staff where Liza was and all he was told was that she was out and about with the boys and now she was in her room resting and they had been told that she must not be disturbed. He assumed that she wanted to be left alone to try to come to terms with Patrick’s departure. It was with very great surprise that when seven o’clock came she could
be seen running down the stairs dressed in the most magnificent yellow evening gown and cloak with diamonds in her hair which matched those around her neck, ears, wrist and fingers. She turned to thank the footman and caught sight of Jamie and she smiled and waved to him and disappeared down the front steps and into a carriage.

  Jamie had purposely decided not to attend any functions as he felt that he should stay to comfort Liza. He sought Bridget out and asked where Liza was going, but Bridget had learned not to give away any information to anybody about Liza. The footman also said that he had no idea where she was going, but she had joined Mr and Mrs Mahoney in their carriage, which meant that Jamie knew exactly which function she was attending. He also had been invited to the same function so he went to his room and dressed ready to attend and ran down the steps into the waiting carriage. He was a little annoyed that she had not seen him that day, and that she had not told him that she would be out that evening.

  Henry, Myra and Liza were announced at the party together and there were several enquiries as to the whereabouts of Patrick and Liza’s well-rehearsed reply was that he had been called away by the army and she was not sure exactly when he would be back. Several of the guests commented that she looked a little unwell, but she replied that the charity function which she had held just a few days ago had tired her somewhat.

  One or two people, including the hosts asked if Lord Edgeworth would be attending and her honest answer was that she had not seen him that day and had no idea what his plans were.

  There was a point when she felt that she just could not carry on with the facade, her smile was beginning to hurt. She was, as always, a very popular dance partner and Myra and Henry kept a very discreet watch over her. Neither of them believed that Patrick had been called away; they knew that he had not been happy in New York and they knew that he felt that Liza was happy there.

  Lord Edgeworth was announced and Liza could see several young ladies preening themselves and edging towards him, but he was having none of it and headed straight towards Liza who was standing with Henry and Myra and a couple of gentlemen who were requesting dances with her, which she was accepting with a cheery smile.

  “Good evening, Jamie,” she said, “I didn’t know you would be here tonight.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here,” he hissed at her. Both Myra and Henry were surprised at his attitude towards Liza but they could see that she was really annoyed by what was sounding like a controlling demand.

  As she had no wish to show her annoyance to anyone within sight of her, she smiled sweetly at him which belied the words that she said. “I do not have to tell you or anyone else where I am going, you are most certainly not my keeper and I’ll thank you to speak to me in a more civilised manner in future.” She turned away from him, spoke a word or two to Myra and was then whisked off onto the dance floor by one of her partners.

  Both Henry and Myra were slightly embarrassed by this altercation between Liza and Jamie, but Jamie broke the silence first by saying, “Well, that’s told me! She’s right, of course; she doesn’t have to tell me anything of what she’s doing.”

  Henry moved closer to him and said, “I think she may be attempting to put some distance between you and her, Jamie. At the moment nobody has said anything, but the fact that you are living under her roof will eventually do nothing for her reputation especially when it becomes known that Patrick is no longer there. She’s putting up quite a front and you can only admire her for that. We have a spare room if you would like to think about staying elsewhere.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that. It is very early days, Patrick has only just left. Thank you for the offer and I most certainly won’t let my presence damage Liza in any way,” said Jamie. “She obviously told you that he has left her.”

  “No, Jamie, you’ve just confirmed what Myra and I guessed. All she said was that he was called away, which, from the look on her face, did not seem to be true. This time she seems to be pushing herself forward and occupying her time to the full. That is probably the best way for her to deal with it,” said Henry.

  “He only left this morning, so we will see what happens as time goes on. I haven’t seen her all day and I have a feeling that I won’t be seeing her tomorrow either. She will probably be going here, there and everywhere with the boys,” said Jamie.

  Henry could only nod as he had no idea what she would be doing.

  “Are you taking her home tonight? And if so, are you going to leave her at the door or come in with her,” said Jamie.

  “We are going to do exactly what Liza wants us to do, so the answer to your question is, I have no idea,” said Henry. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because I feel that we, as her friends, should try to help her sort out her life and talk some sense into her,” said Jamie.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie, but it’s none of our business and she is quite capable of sorting out her own life without our interference. What is it that you think she should be doing?” asked Henry.

  “I think that she should be persuaded to return to Belfast,” said Jamie.

  Henry said nothing but Myra had heard some of the conversation and said, “Jamie that is exactly what you want. I don’t believe it’s what Liza wants and as Henry says, it’s not our business, and we won’t be coming into her house tonight. We are her friends and as such we must let her make up her own mind about her future.”

  At that moment Liza was being escorted back and was immediately whisked away by yet another admirer much to Jamie’s frustration and both Myra’s and Henry’s amusement.

  Liza managed to avoid dancing with Jamie all evening and towards the end of the evening, whilst Jamie was engaged in conversation with an over demanding mother and daughter, Liza, Henry and Myra bade farewell to their hosts and beat a hasty retreat leaving Jamie to find his own way home.

  In the carriage Myra told Liza that she would not have time to come into the house with her that night but would see her some time the next day. Liza smiled and said, “but Myra, I hadn’t invited you,” and she laughed. “Jamie wanted you there for some reason, didn’t he? I suppose he’ll tell me when he’s ready, but now I’ve got to get in and go to my room before he arrives home.”

  “I’ve offered him a room at our home, which I pointed out to him would be better for your reputation whilst Patrick is away,” said Henry pretending that he didn’t know that Patrick was unlikely to return.

  “Thank you both,” said Liza knowing that they were well aware of the situation but they were saying nothing. They noticed that her smile had left her face and her eyes had completely lost their sparkle as she went up the steps and into her house.

  She ran up the stairs and into her room where Bridget was waiting to help her undress and get ready for bed. She heard Jamie arrive back and knew that he would not be pleased that she had left him at the party. Bridget stayed with her for quite some time as if she knew that Liza needed some protection against any gossip which could ensue from Lord Edgeworth being in her house without Mr Patrick being there.

  Bridget left after an hour or so and Liza was left alone. She had filled her day and evening to stop her mind from dwelling on Patrick no longer being with her but now the tears began again and all she had to look forward to were many cold and lonely nights. During that night Liza made the decision that she would travel to Benson and stay for a while, looking after the various interests that she had there and then look to another town to start a life for the boys and herself. She would leave a note with someone there so that should Patrick try to find her, he would have some idea where she and the boys would be.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Patrick, having left the house that morning, made his way to the new railway station where he would travel to pick up a stagecoach which, after many stops, would take him back to Benson. His reception would not be a happy one as everyone there was expecting him to return with Liza. They already rightly blamed him for her departure and once again he would be blamed for
depriving them of her company. His first task would be to ask for an immediate transfer to another army post far from Benson.

  He would be on the train for at least two days. He had left very early and had a four hour wait before the train arrived. He wondered whether Liza would make her way to the station as there would be no one to stop her unlike in Benson. He had seen Ada and Bea rushing to her house to prevent her from going to him and trying to keep him with her. He didn’t know whether to be pleased or sorry that she didn’t come to try to stop him from leaving and he took one last look around as he finally boarded the train and out of her life.

  One or two people tried to make conversation with him, but he politely nodded to them and made it obvious that he did not want company. He became more and more depressed with each mile that he travelled and he began questioning the logic behind his decision.

  He loved Liza so very much and he had convinced himself that what he was doing was for her sake. She looked so very much at ease with all the rich people in New York, she blended in with them and they liked her so she was where she should be.

  He remembered some of the things that they had done in New York, although in deference to him, they had not attended many functions. The charity function had been a great success and she had gone to great lengths to praise him for his part in rescuing the abused children and he had been applauded and congratulated on the part that he had played. She had also pushed Jamie’s generosity into the limelight and thanked Myra and many others, but nobody had thought about or thanked her for all that she had given and done to further the cause.

  He also thought about their time in Belfast and what she had to deal with because of Felicity and Evelyn and his stupid duel with Jamie ultimately causing the threat to her life and the loss of their child. He remembered how she had stood between them and told Jamie that she would never forgive him for trying to kill her Patrick. She had also been hurt by his stepfather but had turned around and set up a system which got his family out of financial difficulties and gave pride back to them. She had taken young John and treated him as her own, and he had left him with her when he was really his responsibility. John loved her and she had taken away the fear and nightmares that the abuse had caused him. She hadn’t asked for any thanks, she had just accepted the situation.